Althea Gaffney

My career has taken me in many different directions. I’m originally from Southern California. I went to Swarthmore College and graduated with High Honors with a major in chemistry and a minor in psychology. As an undergrad, I did an REU in Materials Science at the University of Maryland isolating graphene and building a FET with it. The next summer I did research at Swarthmore in synthetic organic chemistry.

After undergrad, I took a job at DuPont Central Research & Development in the Materials Science & Engineering division and worked on developing new electrode and electrolyte compositions for lithium ion batteries. After two years, I was promoted to Chief of Staff for Materials Science & Engineering. In this role, I learned a lot about research strategies in industry, finance, and running an organization of a few hundred scientists. I decided to continue my education and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a PhD in organic chemistry. I studied methods to inhibit transmission of and cure HIV. As a grad student, I was also a fellow at the university technology transfer office and helped the university assess the patentability of research coming from all over the university.

Science outreach is critical to building the next generation of scientists. I’ve organized science outreach events with many different sizes and formats over the last decade or so. I am excited to now be a part of SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma and continue to serve the next generation of physicists.

SPS Alumni Information

SPS Chapter: At Large

Althea Gaffney is available for student engagement in the following categories: mentoring, in-person speaker, virtual speaker, tour opportunities, job shadowing. Send a request using this form .

Alum Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Education Level: PhD
Disciplines: other

Job Sector: education
Recent position: Assistant Director of SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma, American Institute of Physics
Job Description: I support SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma at the national office at the American Institute of Physics in College Park, MD. I work with the national office team to develop content, programs, and funding opportunities to support the SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma communities. I am the managing editor of Radiations magazine.